How Much Glutathione Per Day? Dose Limits for Sri Lanka Explained

Short answer: in Sri Lanka the practical ceiling for oral glutathione is 500 mg a day. That is the upper limit the NMRA sets for registered products, and it is also where most skin trials sat (250 to 500 mg a day). The part buyers miss is the label: a 500 mg capsule taken twice is already 1,000 mg.

What the NMRA's 500 mg limit covers, and what it doesn't

Glutathione supplements in Sri Lanka fall under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority's Borderline Products Regulatory Division. Its Additional Guideline for Active Ingredients puts numbers on it:

Two more rules matter if you shop online. Oral and topical glutathione products need NMRA registration, and their advertising needs prior approval. A cosmetic with less than 2% w/w glutathione also can't call itself "whitening" or advertise that it contains glutathione.

What the limit does not do is add up your cupboard. It governs the daily serving printed on a product. If you take a capsule and a gluta-collagen sachet on the same day, no rule stops the total going past 500 mg. We treat 500 mg as a personal daily budget for everything you swallow, which is the cautious way to read the guideline. That is our reading, not NMRA wording.

What the studies actually tested

Three human trials get quoted again and again. None of them used more than 1,000 mg a day, and only one went past three months.

How we read that: the 1,000 mg trial measured glutathione in blood, not skin. The skin trials stayed at 250 to 500 mg and gave modest, patchy results. A 2019 systematic review of the clinical evidence reached a similar verdict. We found no trial showing that more glutathione means more effect, and the longest oral trial ran six months, so there is no multi-year safety record to lean on.

Side effects were mostly small. The 12-week study logged itching, redness and tiredness in both the glutathione and placebo groups. It also recorded temporary liver-enzyme rises in two participants that settled within weeks, and two more women left the study over raised liver tests. That is the main reason we tell people with liver problems to ask a doctor first.

Reading a label: mg per capsule is not mg per day

Three questions sort most labels in under a minute.

1. What is the serving size: one capsule, two, or a sachet?
2. How many servings does the label tell you to take each day?
3. Is the big number glutathione, or the whole blend?

Here is how that plays out on real labels:

The last two rows are the ones that catch people out. A large number on the front of a pack is usually the weight of a blend, not of glutathione. If the supplement facts panel doesn't give a glutathione amount, you can't do the sum, and that alone is a reason to pick a different product.

One more detail from the NOW capsules: each 500 mg capsule also carries 100 mg of milk thistle extract and 50 mg of alpha lipoic acid, so the capsule weighs more than the glutathione in it.

When two products quietly add up

An easy way to end up over 500 mg is to buy two ordinary products rather than one strong one. A capsule for the evening, a gluta-collagen sachet in the morning, and a skin blend because it was on offer.

The fix is boring. Choose one product to be your glutathione source and count everything else as zero only if its panel genuinely lists no glutathione. If you like a collagen sachet, let the sachet be your glutathione and drop the capsule.

Glutathione in stock today that fits under 500 mg a day

Prices and stock below were checked on 22 October 2026. Several of these are down to one or two units, so the product page is the final word. Every daily cost is the pack price divided by the days the pack lasts at the label dose of one capsule or sachet a day.

How we would choose between them:

• Keeping well under the ceiling: the 250 mg NOW capsule leaves 250 mg of headroom. That is the sensible pick if you also eat well and don't want to chase the maximum.
• A sachet routine: Manee's pink sachet is the cheapest per day on this list, and it brings collagen and vitamin C along. If you pick it, don't add a capsule on top.
• Using the full 500 mg: the NOW 500 mg capsule is one a day, preferably on an empty stomach. The 120-capsule bottle costs about Rs 119 less per day than the 30-capsule bottle, if you're sure you'll finish it.
• Pairing with vitamin C: there are two bundles, NOW Vitamin C-1000 with NOW Glutathione 500mg (30 capsules) at Rs 23,495 and the NOW Glutathione plus Vitamin C Beauty Bundle (120 glutathione capsules and 100 vitamin C capsules) at Rs 36,450. NOW lists no duplicated active ingredient between the two and doesn't claim the pairing enhances results. Either way, the glutathione is still 500 mg a day.

You can see the full shelf, including products we've left out of this list because their labelled daily serving is above 500 mg or doesn't state a glutathione amount, on the glutathione collection page.

Who should ask a doctor or pharmacist first

NOW's own labels say to consult a healthcare professional if you are pregnant or nursing, take medication, or have a medical condition, and that the products are for adults only. We'd add a few cases the trials make us cautious about:

• Liver conditions or liver medication. A few participants in the 12-week trial had raised liver tests. It was a small signal, but it is the sort that deserves a blood-test conversation.
• Asthma. Glutathione breathed in through a nebuliser has been reported to trigger bronchospasm in people with asthma. A capsule is a different route, but it is still worth mentioning to your doctor.
• Chemotherapy. Some glutathione labels advise against use during chemotherapy. Ask your oncologist before starting.
• Long courses. The longest oral trial we found ran six months. If you plan to take glutathione for a year or more, tell your doctor and review it periodically.

A separate word on drips and injections. The NMRA does not allow IV glutathione, and the published evidence for injections lightening skin is thin. A clinic or salon offering a glutathione drip is offering something the NMRA's guideline does not allow. A capsule at or under 500 mg is the only route this article covers.

This article is general information and is not medical advice. It doesn't replace the advice of your doctor or pharmacist.

FAQ: glutathione dose questions from Sri Lanka

Can I take 1,000 mg of glutathione a day in Sri Lanka?

A registered oral product can't instruct you to take more than 500 mg a day under the NMRA guideline. One 6-month trial gave 1,000 mg and measured blood levels, but that doesn't make it a recommended dose, and long-term safety is unknown. If a label says two 500 mg capsules, that is 1,000 mg.

Is glutathione banned in Sri Lanka?

No. Oral and topical products are allowed if they are NMRA-registered and within the limits above. IV preparations are not allowed, and on 24 February 2026 the NMRA specifically prohibited glutathione plus vitamin C IV for skin lightening.

Is it safe to take glutathione every day?

In trials of up to six months at 250 to 1,000 mg a day, participants generally tolerated it. Minor itching, redness and tiredness were reported, and a few people in a 12-week study had temporary liver-enzyme rises. We found no multi-year oral safety data, so ask your doctor if you plan to stay on it for long.

Is 250 mg enough?

That depends on what you expect. 250 mg a day raised blood glutathione in the 6-month trial. In a 12-week skin trial at 250 mg, the overall skin-tone difference from placebo wasn't statistically significant. There is no proven "enough" dose for skin.

Can I take a glutathione capsule and a gluta-collagen sachet on the same day?

Yes, but add the milligrams. A 250 mg capsule plus a 250 mg sachet is 500 mg. A 500 mg capsule plus the same sachet is 750 mg.

Should I take glutathione with vitamin C?

NOW's glutathione and vitamin C bundles list no duplicated active ingredient between the two products. A bundle doesn't create a new dose, and the listing doesn't promise enhanced results from combining them. Follow each label.

When should I take it, and how often?

NOW's directions are one capsule a day, preferably on an empty stomach. The 500 mg skin trial split that same daily total into two doses. We know of no trial showing that morning beats evening.

How long before I notice anything?

The skin trials ran 4 to 12 weeks, and the results were modest and uneven. Not everyone notices a change. In the 6-month trial, blood levels fell back to baseline a month after stopping, so any change depends on continuing.

Does glutathione whiten skin?

The evidence is mixed. The best-known trial found a significant difference at 2 of 6 measured sites after 4 weeks at 500 mg, and the 12-week study at 250 mg didn't find one overall. NMRA rules also stop low-concentration cosmetics from claiming whitening. We don't promise it, and we'd be wary of anyone who does.

Before you buy

Pick one glutathione source, read its supplement facts for the per-day figure, and keep the total at or under 500 mg. If a label leaves you unsure, send us the product name and we'll go through the maths with you. When you're ready, the glutathione collection lists what's on the shelf today.

More reading: how to buy authentic supplements online in Sri Lanka, the Manee Gluta Collagen Pink guide and how much collagen to take per day.